This photo was taken just hours before one of the most violent and severe rain and lightning storms I have ever experienced. This basin is a jewel tucked up tightly between Agassiz and Spread Eagle peak in the Uinta Mountain Range. Several emerald lakes are nestled in the glacially scoured hollows of the alpine valley. In a period of about 2 hours it rained so heavily that the sound the falling rain made was a roar. The wall of water was so drenching there was no protecting one's self from the onslaught of falling drops. Lightning was striking so close and with such frequency that we could see sparks from trees and rocks that had been hit (almost being showered with falling sparks). At one point we were counting 3 strikes a second for over 5 minutes consecutively. These strikes were all within a mile from our position. The trails were transformed into rivers and the meadows into lakes. We were standing in water to our ankles with little cover taller than a small stinted pine to take the brunt of the falling bolts. My daughter was due in 4 days and for a brief and terrifying time I was certain I would not be able to witness her birth. We made it out safely but the distance was brutal, not to mention we ran many miles with fully loaded packs in full on mountain boots to escape the barrage of lightning. The photo is a great shot of this basin and the moody storm that was transforming this picturesque cirque into a battlefield. Shot by Steve.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Agassiz from Naturalist Basin in the Uinta Mountain Range
This photo was taken just hours before one of the most violent and severe rain and lightning storms I have ever experienced. This basin is a jewel tucked up tightly between Agassiz and Spread Eagle peak in the Uinta Mountain Range. Several emerald lakes are nestled in the glacially scoured hollows of the alpine valley. In a period of about 2 hours it rained so heavily that the sound the falling rain made was a roar. The wall of water was so drenching there was no protecting one's self from the onslaught of falling drops. Lightning was striking so close and with such frequency that we could see sparks from trees and rocks that had been hit (almost being showered with falling sparks). At one point we were counting 3 strikes a second for over 5 minutes consecutively. These strikes were all within a mile from our position. The trails were transformed into rivers and the meadows into lakes. We were standing in water to our ankles with little cover taller than a small stinted pine to take the brunt of the falling bolts. My daughter was due in 4 days and for a brief and terrifying time I was certain I would not be able to witness her birth. We made it out safely but the distance was brutal, not to mention we ran many miles with fully loaded packs in full on mountain boots to escape the barrage of lightning. The photo is a great shot of this basin and the moody storm that was transforming this picturesque cirque into a battlefield. Shot by Steve.
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Nothing like a Uinta thunderstorm to make the trip more interesting. I can't remember how many times we had to run out of there in the middle of a down pour. Always a good time out there.
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